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-really a traditional Celtic Christmas song, and quite similar to her track The Mummer's Dance. Good find

More a traditional Samhain song in that the oldest tradition of the Celts wasn't Christian. One of those basic 'portal' festivals that occurred on solstices and equinoxes. In this case the beginning of the 'season of darkness' where the door between the realms of the life and death was opened for a single night and free passage back and forth between them made possible. A severely watered down version continues on as the children's holiday of Halloween. Many of the rituals and imagery of this festival (and others) got repurposed for the 'new' Christmas by Christian missionaries when they systematically wiped out the old pagan culture and traditions in the British Isles.

I sometimes wonder what someone from one of those old indigenous tribes would have thought if they could see how the most (some argue second most) important spiritual event of their year has been reduced to a silly costume festival - and an excuse for vandalism.

Anyway...if you enjoyed that clip, there are several others from the same concert also up on YouTube.

^ Christmas-date is based on the older winter solstice festivals (and the celebration that the days are getting longer).

was Samhain/Halloween/All-Souls-day not related to the equinox? No, that's earlier - seems to be as you say end-of-summer/start-of-winter fest.Okay, I see from wikipedia, they do say that Samhain might have been considered as the start of the year. Hadn't known that before

^Yup! The old Pagan calendar (and festivals) don't exactly sync or equate with our more modern post-Christian ones - although ritual equivalents and overlapping themes abound. Mircea Eliade and Joseph Campbell had a lot to say on that topic.

The old calendar is found "in the blood, the sky, and the earth" and differs from the seasons "born of the Book of the New Law" as some of today's pagans would put it.

OK...I'm surprised I've never mentioned this artist before considering what a big fan I am...

May I introduce Ms. Happy Rhodes, guitarist, songwriter, and singer with an almost freakishly huge (and documented) vocal range which runs from A2 through G6#. Translated into English, that's four octaves, or half the keys on a grand piano.

Her styles are varied, and have had people compare her to such diverse performers as Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and David Bowie. And her lowest registers are so deep (for a female) that some people have openly questioned her real gender. (She was born and remains a biological female in case anybody's wondering.)

The following are a few (of several) videos up on Youtube that show some of her amazing stylistic and vocal range.

It is kind of shocking when she starts singing deep after all that high singing!

Yeah. Until you see her do it live in concert there's times when you'd swear she had someone up there singing with her. And when she starts flipping back and forth with different styles in different ranges in the same song it can almost sound like a duet. Very spooky!

The thing I admire is how easily she could turn it all into a gimmick - but never does. Everything she does is in keeping with the music. Probably one of the reasons why she hasn't cracked the commercial mainstream.

Pleasant person too. Great sense of humor and a sweet disposition. Treats her audience well - and puts on a good show. As a result, she has one of the most loyal group of fans you'll find anywhere. And deservedly so IMO.